Post by Spirit of the Lynx on Jul 4, 2007 16:20:11 GMT -5
From: Mystik (Original Message) Sent: 9/29/2003 5:22 AM
In Ki Training #1 I mentioned that a person who is has a positive attitude is naturally full of universal plus ki energy. In addition to attitude it seems that a certain ability to visualise is also important. In ki aikido we often taught to visualise the sequence of a throw from start to finish and then extend ki forwards as we go through the sequence physically. We are sometimes told to visualise that our bodies are heavy or light. Senseis can always amaze people with this trick. Asking two people, one on either side, even the smallest sensei will say, "now my body is heavy," and it is. Two heavy guys next to the sensei will be unable to lift him if each on grasps him by an arm and trioes to lift him up. The sensei will ask people to lift one of his legs but few people will be able to budge it. When someone is truly full of universal ki and extending it outwards towards infinity, they truly become as immoveable as a rock.
However extending ki in this way is not just a state of mind. It is a combination of different things: positive attitude, visualisation, posture, and technique. Basic physics is also a major part of understanding aikido.
Koichi Tohei sensei, the founder of "shin shin toitsu aikido" or "ki aikido" as it is sometimes called, actually does not teach aikido as a fighting art, but rather as a way of practicing using ki. In order to help people to understand how to extend ki, he formulated four rules which all members of the Ki Society are taught as soon as they become members. The rules involve visualisation and physics. These rules have been translated into English in an excellent book called "A Road That Anyone Can Walk. KI" by William Reed, who was a deshi of Tohei sensei.
1. Calm and focus the mind at the One Point in the lower abdomen.
2. Completely release all tension from the body
3. Let the weight of every part of your body settle at its lowest point
4. Extend ki!
What do they all mean? Aha! Tune in to the next exciting episode to find out.
Any questions? Ask me any time.
Mystik
In Ki Training #1 I mentioned that a person who is has a positive attitude is naturally full of universal plus ki energy. In addition to attitude it seems that a certain ability to visualise is also important. In ki aikido we often taught to visualise the sequence of a throw from start to finish and then extend ki forwards as we go through the sequence physically. We are sometimes told to visualise that our bodies are heavy or light. Senseis can always amaze people with this trick. Asking two people, one on either side, even the smallest sensei will say, "now my body is heavy," and it is. Two heavy guys next to the sensei will be unable to lift him if each on grasps him by an arm and trioes to lift him up. The sensei will ask people to lift one of his legs but few people will be able to budge it. When someone is truly full of universal ki and extending it outwards towards infinity, they truly become as immoveable as a rock.
However extending ki in this way is not just a state of mind. It is a combination of different things: positive attitude, visualisation, posture, and technique. Basic physics is also a major part of understanding aikido.
Koichi Tohei sensei, the founder of "shin shin toitsu aikido" or "ki aikido" as it is sometimes called, actually does not teach aikido as a fighting art, but rather as a way of practicing using ki. In order to help people to understand how to extend ki, he formulated four rules which all members of the Ki Society are taught as soon as they become members. The rules involve visualisation and physics. These rules have been translated into English in an excellent book called "A Road That Anyone Can Walk. KI" by William Reed, who was a deshi of Tohei sensei.
1. Calm and focus the mind at the One Point in the lower abdomen.
2. Completely release all tension from the body
3. Let the weight of every part of your body settle at its lowest point
4. Extend ki!
What do they all mean? Aha! Tune in to the next exciting episode to find out.
Any questions? Ask me any time.
Mystik